Wauwatosa, WI
James H. MacGillis was hired in 2021 as the Wauwatosa Police Chief, after retiring from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) after 25 years of service as a Police Captain. During his career at MPD, he held several roles, including: Director of Training at the Milwaukee Police Regional Training Center, HIDTA Group Supervisor, Patrol and Detective Bureau Shift Commander, and Major Incident Response Team commander (crowd management). He also served in the US Army (Active and National Guard) as a combat medical specialist. He is a Use Force expert witness and has testified in dozens of legal proceedings, leading to his 2014 selection as LEADS scholar with NIJ.
MacGillis earned his master’s degree in Administrative Leadership-focusing on adult education programs from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a Certified Public Manager, graduating the Wisconsin Department of Justice- Command College program through the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He embraces data-driven and evidence-based policing strategies into practical application at his current agency.